Magician's guillotines of the above type have been known and widely used for many years and can sever one or more articles held in apertures in the stocks without severing a subject's neck.
In one prior type of apparatus, an article held in a demonstration aperture below an aperture receiving the subjects neck is actually severed by the descending blade. Such apparatus usually comprise two blade portions the descent of one of which starts and stops above the neck and the descent of the other starts below the neck.
A disadvantage of such approach is that the demonstration apertures are not on each lateral side and the distance between the neck holding aperture and the demonstration aperture must be relatively large to accommodate the lower blade.
In another approach described in "Illusions", pages 139/140, admitted prior art, the apparatus severs demonstration articles held in apertures on each lateral side of and level with the central, neck holding aperture. Such apparatus comprise an assembly of an inverted U-shape blade and a rectangular blade extending completely thereacross. In a first demonstration, the blades are linked together by pins passing therethrough and an article held in the central aperture (or all three) is severed. In a second demonstration, the pins are removed so that during descent the rectangular blade is stopped by the subjects neck being progressively inserted into the handle during the further descent of only the U-shaped lower blade so that-lower ends of legs thereof sever only articles placed in the lateral apertures and leave the neck unscathed.
A disadvantage of such apparatus is that demonstration severing does not occur above or below the neck holding aperture.
Thus, in neither prior apparatus do demonstration apertures in which severing occurs completely surround the subject's neck.
In addition, as the U-shaped blade-is located behind the rectangular blade, it is not possible for spectators to view the apparatus from the rear, while opposite vertical edges of the blade also had to be concealed at all times in wood tracks which permitted the relative movement.
Furthermore, it was necessary to secretly relatively lower the U-shaped blade in the wood tracks during the performance. The wood handle had often to be relatively massive to conceal the rectangular blade therewithin in the relatively raised position.